MATCH 30 NOMADS CC v SUSSEX MARTLETS CC 2.00pm, Three Bridges CC Three Bridges Road Three Bridges Crawley RH10 1JR Wednesday June 14th - Declaration game,
Toss: Sussex Martlets CC won the toss
Result: Nomads won by 7 wickets
Umpires:Michael Blumberg & Barry Peay
Scorers:A Gibbs
Debuts :Matt Machan,Isaac Taylor,Kieran Neville,Angelo Yiates,Dan Beeton.
SUSSEX MARTLETS CC Innings R B M 4s 6s
T Pullan c Yiates b Nevill 17 30 20 3 0
S Rhys lbw b Butcher 33 54 51 5 0
B Pullan lbw b Butcher 33 48 28 6 0
J O'Gorman c Kandampully b Butcher 1 19 21 0 0
K Small not out 56 56 84 6 2
O Bradley not out 110 79 78 18 0
Extras (b4,lb4,w2,nb0) 10
TOTAL (4 wickets dec,49.4 overs) 260
Dnb:S Cooper,R Frean,S Warrender+,J Shaw,A Newman*.
Fow:1-39(1),2-71(2),3-81(4),4-92(3).
Bowling-Butcher 14 1 57 3,Misshra 14 2 56 0,Neville 8.4 1 57 1,Page 9 1 44 0,Machan 4 0 38 0.
NOMADS CC Innings R B M 4s 6s
I Taylor c ? b Shaw 0 3 1 0 0
A Dillon c ? b Bradley 50 60 115 8 0
M Machan c ? b Bradley 189 91 115 22 13
D Beeton not out 7 13 14 7 0
A Yiates+ not out 2 7 12 0 0
Extras (b9,lb3,w0,nb1) 13
TOTAL (3 wickets,28.5 overs) 261
Dnb:V Kadampully*,D Misshra,K Nevill,C Page,B Butcher,P Sumner.
Fow:1-0(1),2-250(2),3-250(3).
Bowling-Shaw 8.5 3 63 1(nb1),Small 8 0 48 0,O'Gorman 4 0 73 0,Bradley 6 0 47 2,??2 0 18 0.
Matt Machan mauls Martlets & sets new Nomads record score
If we thought the 2017 match against Sussex Martlets was a run-fest, this one surpassed it and then some. A firm, straw coloured pitch greeted the captains and so Alan Newman had no hesitation in giving his “11 past centurions” the opportunity to bat during the hottest part of the day.
Nomads’ bowling attack comprised Three Bridges seamer Kieran Neville plus a spin quartet of Butcher, Mishra, Page and Machan, and after a tight start it was Neville (1/57) who effected the breakthrough by inducing a thin edge to remove Martlets’ 2017 centurion, Toby Pullen, for 17. However, as Toby’s brother Ben began to score freely off Neville, the parsimonious Butcher was introduced, immediately trapping Rhys LBW for 33 and building the pressure nicely in tandem with Mishra and then Page to “dot up” Joe O’Gorman - with the predictable effect of eliciting the big shot…which was duly caught. When Butcher (14-1-57-3) secured a second LBW against Ben Pullen immediately after, Martlets had slipped to 96/4.
However, Slinfold overseas Kemar Small and Martlets’ MOM Olly Bradley steadied the ship. Bradley counterattacked the spinners with good effect, being particularly strong past extra-cover, and reached a fifty in only 46 balls, while Small dug in watchfully. After 39 overs, Martlets had only 159/4, and were required to accelerate. Bradley and Small proved equal to this task, spoiling Ben’s previously tidy figures with 14 off one over, and scoring freely against Machin and the returning Neville and Mishra. Bradley reached a well-deserved hundred off 74 balls, with 18 fours, while Small accelerated towards the end to register his own fifty from 76 balls.
With the declaration coming at 4:45pm, Nomads calculated that they would have a maximum of around 42 overs to chase Martlets’ 260/4.
A superb Three Bridges tea bolstered Nomads’ spirits, but the chase got off to an inauspicious start when Brighton 1st XI opener Isaac Taylor was bounced out by St James Montefiore opening bowler Jordan Shaw for a duck off the third ball of the innings. Recent Scotland international and Sussex county cricketer Matt Machan joined Alex Dillon at the crease and the pair eased their way into the innings cautiously against Shaw and the rapid Barbadian overseas Kemar Small, with only 5 runs off the bat in the first four overs.
But, having had a look, Matt began to expand his strokeplay, taking 11 off Shaw in the 7th over, and a quite extraordinary 20 off Small in the 8th. Suddenly Martlets were under pressure, but Martlets skipper Alan Newman put his faith in his pacemen to dismiss the dangerman. Ably aided by Alex Dillon, Matt dealt well with the seamers while picking up more runs off the occasional bad ball. Having reached his fifty in the 12th over, Matt then launched a blistering assault on Shaw’s 7th over, taking it for 27 including five fours and a six.
Martlets turned to the left-arm-spin of O’Gorman. “About time! Should’ve bowled a spinner ages ago!” said Chris Page. Unaware of Pagey’s canny insights, Matt deposited O’Gorman’s first and third deliveries for six into the road, en route to a 21 run over which took him into the 90s. “Be Fair!” said the Professor, “he should’ve been bowling at the other end!”
Shortly thereafter, Matt brought up his hundred with another six off O’Gorman. It had taken only 58 deliveries, and he had moved from 50 to 104 in 19 balls. On 112, Matt then hoisted one high to deep mid-wicket, where a visibly nervous Martlet was unable to hold a tricky catch on the run.
That proved to be the catalyst for carnage. From 112 off 66 balls, Matt’s scorecard then reads: 6 6 LB 6 1 1 6 . 4 6 6 1 6 - 49 further runs in 13 balls to move into the 160s and challenge the Nomads all-time record.
By this stage, record-holder Brockton was aware of the innings, and was following Whatsapp updates with keen interest. But skipper Vic Kandampully, enjoying the carnage (and with Matt showing no signs of flagging) put his blind eye to the Whatsapp group whenever suggestions of a ‘retirement’ were mooted.
An extraordinary 13th six of the innings finally took Matt past the all-time Nomads record to great cheering from all assembled. Matt’s faithful batting partner, Alex Dillon, reached his own fifty shortly thereafter, off only 59 balls, bringing the second wicket partnership to exactly 250, before holing out to Toby Pullen off the bowling of centurion Olly Bradley (2/47). The second wicket partnership was exactly 250, and, incredibly, it had been made in 24.4 overs.
Matt fell the very next ball in the exact same way. His innings of 189, with 22 fours and 13 sixes, was made off 91 balls, against a strong Martlets bowling attack.
Extraordinarily, he had not scored at all off the first ten deliveries received – so all of those runs in fact came off 80 balls at a strike rate of 236!
Beddington CC’s Dan Beeton and Minster CC’s Angelo Yaites guided Nomads across the line without further mishap. Nomads had chased 261 in 28.5 overs, to win by 7 wickets, all thanks to an extraordinary innings played by an immensely classy cricketer – a worthy new holder of the Nomads top score.
Nomads and Martlets repaired to the bar to toast this incredible knock with a few jugs of beer – it had been a great pleasure to witness.
Alex Dillon(50) & Matt Machan(189) put on 250 The scoreboard the moment Matt passed Tom Brockton's previous record score
Previous Matches
2017 Match Drawn
Nomads also played Sussex Martlets at The Hurlingham Club June 3rd 1961. Nomads do not know the result retaining no scorebooks from 1961.
Posted on 07/10/2017
by Michael Blumberg